The Adventures of Allison C. Meier, a Wandering Writer from Oklahoma

Coney Island Afternoon

Cyclone roller coaster at Coney Island.

Despite the current rather cold and dreary weather, I believe it was the opening day for Coney Island. Recently, my friend Randall came to visit New York and we took the train down to Coney Island on another somewhat chilly, off-season afternoon. Despite the closed rides and sharp ocean wind, it was entertaining as always to walk along the boardwalk and see the derelict old buildings on Surf Avenue (a couple fewer than when I’d last been, the destruction continues).

I love taking photographs at Coney Island, especially when it is quiet and somewhat empty. It’s always eerie to be around amusement parks or other places where people gather and scream when they are vacant. Noise seems to linger in the calm air. I was actually at Coney Island last Saturday night (for an Obscura Day event in the “Spectacularium,” wow, did I spell that right?) and it was even more strange to see the Cyclone looming in the dark, the only lights blinking from a randomly opened bumper car rink, the rumble of the train instead of the roller coaster. But here is some sunlight:

Hot air balloon ride, with the Wonder Wheel behind it. Id like to see this whimsical thing in action.

Steeplechase Pier over the Atlantic.

Seagull at the pier with the rides in the background.

Pier Pigeon

(By the way, I probably won’t have time to write about my Obscura Day Brooklyn catacombs event for a while, as I’m going on an international adventure this week, but you can see photos I took here. Also, other things that have been awesome that I might not have time to write about, but want to remember: Angels in America at Signature Theatre, Radiotheatre’s H.P. Lovecraft stories, the way the fog settles on the Empire State Building, the promising sound of the coffee maker that is bringing me away from my computer now.)